


A Dead Past

by sp00kworm



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Blood and Gore, Blood and Guts, Childhood Trauma, Death, F/M, Ghouls are not human, Gore, Horror, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Monster Fights, Monsters, Multi, Murder, Not the kinky sort, Public whipping, Swordfighting, Trauma, Violence, Whipping, armour, demon fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 17:45:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19795885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sp00kworm/pseuds/sp00kworm
Summary: Air felt the thick tear drip over his cheek as he sat across from the little Earth Ghoul. Earth was stunned into silence, not having expected to see such a harrowing set of events. The small ghoul was over in an instant, fingers curled into Airs cassock as he felt the pain and ache resonate within his own chest. He was young, far younger than the millennia Air had seen, only having four centuries to his name. Horror's circled in the old ghoul's eyes as he gazed at the younger male before him, blood reflecting in his vision as the horrors of his past tore through his mind. Another tear dripped down his mask as his mate whispered his name."Eurus."





	A Dead Past

**Author's Note:**

> The big bang piece that I was going to submit but got discouraged about. With my new job I don't have the time or energy to engage with the event so I just thought I'd post it anyway after dropping out. I hope this isn't too traumatic for everyone.

The mountain top homes of Hell’s most vicious Ghouls were desolate places. A constant flaky snow fell from the sky until the middle of the year, and the briefest reprieve allowed for a semi-thaw. Little root vegetables grew in the rocky earth and a few scarce wildflowers burst from between the large rocks and boulders. The cold weather trees were rarely stripped bare, but the brief warming allow for their needle shaped seeds to fall. A death trap to uncovered feet. Too many kits came home with the needles lacing the soft skin of their arches and heels. They cried as they were pulled free, but it taught them to wear their tough boots before going out to play on the crags and mountaintops. Their cave homes were embedded deep into the mountains, the caves running down through the rock structures and grouping around a waterfall that fell from the top of the mountain and into the caverns below. The complex tunnels could be navigated by no others. They were ancient, carved by the talons and horns of their ancestors, drilling into the mountain for its warmth and shelter from the bitter forever-winter. For centuries, it gave the Air Tribe just that, and distinguished them as the frostbitten cousins to their oceanic, cliffside fellows. The Northern Wind tribe, just like they had Eastern, Southern and Western tribes, hailing from different climates and in temperament somewhat.

However, they were all known to be the most vicious of their elemental brothers and sisters. The war drove them to the mountains and far corners of their world. In the harsh environments of rocky earth and cold weather, they adapted, and became crueller. Vicious and vindictive to match the weather that they created. The bitter cold and howling winds of the Northern tribe were what Eurus had always known. The frigid cold was part of his life, and now he hardly felt the bite on his nose. He’d been born on the mountain side, screeching into the howling, battering winds, and had been taken home in no clothing. He’d survived and his mother had suckled him only when they returned, by the fire, looking at the strength in his legs and arms to try and determine his name. The name he was given, Eurus, was related to the winds of autumn, cold yet not bitter. They started the process of the plant death but did not obliterate life. A gentle warning and a cold punch to start the worry in creature’s hearts and souls. The name, so far, was fitting. His father saw only weakness in him, and his mother gently nurtured the softer side of his façade. Control. She exercised his control and patience.

If he was to be a better man than his father, he was to develop that control. She knew how his temper flared, even as a child. Eurus was a young boy, not quite a teen, when he had battered a boy silly. It had been over something silly, but it had seemed important. He’d gained a scar from where his lip was cut deep, but the other boy had suffered a lot worse with a broken arm and several bruises. The scar was still there, long and thin up to just beneath his nose. No hair grew there making it a little more obvious as he grew into his teens with his lethal temper. White eyes often looked through a veil of coiling serpents, dark hair rippling upwards, before he threw his peers from the rings, chest heaving and covered in little scars from the fight. It happened repeatedly up until he entered adulthood, covered in scars that were self-inflicted more than anything. The bands of silver defined him as strong, burning scars into the tops of his arms. Despite burning great wounds into his arms, they also strengthened his resolve, and his resistance to the blessed silver that could kill them.

Very few even talked to him after his teens. They stayed away, watching him speak with his father and mother before he disappeared on another mission away from home. Each time he returned with the request, battered, bruised and with a new scar, his hair and face a mess. Eventually, they stopped seeing him leave all together, and many wondered where he had gone before he resurfaced at meetings, white eyes and elegant horns wrapped with braids and loops of metal. A bell sat in the braid, signalling his approach to a meeting before he sat among the elders like a Ghoul triple his age. The respect shifted quickly after that. The tribe saw his ability, the anger mellowed with age and hardship. He was battle worn a few years after that, leading the younger ghouls and ghoulettes with ease in their raiding. The bells of the Autumn Wind became feared for some time before the bloodshed was no longer to his taste. His bells sounded less often in his father’s blood riddled meetings, and Eurus became an enigma once more. Still, he had his people’s favour, cold and collected, yet able to sit with them like any other warrior.

The tribe was being called together once more. It was the fourth time in just under three weeks, and Eurus moved quietly, the bells in his hair tinkering softly as he ducked into the small meeting room. It was warm in the small room, and he reached to his shoulders to dust the snow from himself. It was spring but the snow had not yet waned from the rocks and grass on the mountains. It was putting strain on the tribe’s resources, and he felt like he knew what was going to be asked of him this meeting.

A hand on his shoulder made him look languidly over to his side, “What is it, Cane?” He asked softly, white eyes looking around the room.   
Cane, a smaller male, though built just as strong as himself, looked around the room nervously, “There is talk of war, Eurus. Your father has been silent on the matter, but the women…they fear the worst.” He sighed and rubbed at one of his curled ram horns, his white hair tied in a rough bun behind them, the colour of his eyes the same as the blue sky.   
Eurus looked at the women and then the men, all were stone faced with worry, “He will. He knows the tribe will back him too.” He folded his arms over his chest and moved to the side to let the last of the stragglers inside of the meeting place, pulling his hood over his head too keep the stares from himself, “It is the only way. But he will want something from it. No doubt kits again.”   
Cane swallowed, “What does he do to them, Eurus?”   
“He takes their blood.” The larger ghoul answered simply, tucking his hair and bells into the back of his hood, “I have seen…The children don’t live.”

Sky blue eyes looked to the stone chair in the centre of the chamber, wide with worry as they two of them leaned against the back wall, listening to the chatter around them. A band sounded against the stone, a great staff being slammed against it as his father walked out to his chair. Eurus watched with bright white eyes as the man sat in his throne, his face somehow older since he had last seen him, riddled with wrinkles he could not remember, and his dark hair now greying, beard unkempt and hair a knot at the back of his head. Once they had looked similar, but now Eurus could only see the twisted old man his father was becoming. The people quietened, kits quietened by the women and the men taking their seats for the leader to talk. Eurus looked to Cane out of the corner of his eyes as the ghouls looked to their leader in complete silence.

“The winter is long this year.” Dolion observed gruffly, searching for familiar faces in the crowd silently for a moment before continuing, “The stores are strained. Our supplies are depleted, and it is unlikely we can survive much longer. We are on rations as it is. The elk migration hasn’t happened and so we are left with a decision.” The man leaned forwards in his chair and looked at the women before the men, “Our people and children can starve, or we can take action. The Earth Ghouls are already packing their stores. It would be easy pickings for us, and their riches would be helpful for when the Aether Ghoul traders dare to enter the valley once more. I see no reason not to capitalize on this opportunity.” Quiet fell over the tribe at their leader’s words. Eurus, and all the ghouls in that room, knew it was something they needed to survive.   
“My son will lead the raid.” He gestured through the crowd to where Eurus and Cane stood against the wall.

With a sigh, Eurus lowered his hood, looking at his father like it was a gnarled reflection of himself. The bells tinkled softly as he shook his hair free of his horns, and the people around him whispered, ‘The Autumn Wind’ and ‘the bells will sing again’. Cane touched his arm softly, smiling awkwardly, trying to stop the large ghoul from vehemently denying the claims. Most of the youngsters around him were too young to have seen battle. It was not glory and beauty, as they suspected, but they had been bred and chosen for this purpose, and his father expected him to break them in.   
Dolion tilted his head, looking at the black Burrow Bear furs Eurus was dressed in before he continued, “You know him as a great warrior, therefore, it makes sense for him to lead us to a successful victory.” Eurus said nothing as his father began choosing ghouls and ghoulettes to join him.

Cane placed a hand over his heart as he was chosen, thanking Dolion for the privilege and honour. Eurus snorted from his place against the wall, still leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to his father preach about how successful and great it would make the tribe.  
“This raid will give us food and nothing more, father. Don’t make it into some legendary victory.” He hissed, white eyes looking at his father before he turned his head away, the bells in his hair clattering before he tucked his arms back into his great coat of bear fur.   
Dolion shot him an acidic look, standing, braids and bells swaying and jingling, “Food and our survival is a victory, son.” He hissed through sharp teeth, the large fangs of his top jaw leaking venom into his mouth. Eurus knew just what the toxin could do to him if he let his father bite him. He’d been subjected to it when he turned into a teen. Hours of pain, writhing in the middle of a group of healers who simply watched him convulse and drool.

The tribe split their gazes, looking at the man that had given them bloody victories, and his father who had demanded those victories, and claimed them for his own. Both were leaders in their own rights. Still, Dolion had never led them astray.   
Eurus looked at the eyes pinned on him and growled softly, “I will do as you ask so we survive the last of the winter. We need to move quickly to beat the storms.” He reached back to his hood and pulled the material back over his hair and horns, white eyes lingering on his father for a moment before he ducked back out into the chilly air of the mountainside. Mutterings and murmurs followed him as he left, and he heard Cane apologise on his behalf as Dolion slammed his staff on the floor, demanding their attention once more for the rest of the discussions.

Eurus remained outside for the remainder of the meeting. He was tucked tightly in his furs, the reat black fur colour tight over his mouth and nose as he looked down the mountainside. He had hooked his claws into the stone, the boulder solid and old. The top was flat and smooth with the number of ghouls that had sat on it and rubbed their hands over the surface. He followed their tracks before he returned his claws to the stone and held tightly, just in case something or someone should try to launch him down the sheer cliff drop beneath him. His clawed feet curled against the cliff, the toes lined with fur between to ensure they didn’t get frostbitten in the snow. Most of his brethren were covered in thick fur on their legs, the backwards ankles lined with it as well to ensure their extremities didn’t freeze. The winds were calm for once, but still bitter cold, the ice biting at his nose even through his clothes. Eurus sighed into the air, his breath clouding in front of him.

“Eurus!” It was Dolion’s gruff, bitter voice. His father stood behind him, a few metres away, his own braided bells tinkling softly against the light breeze. Eurus could see the chieftain’s breath freeze in the air, the cold wrapping around him like a shell as he looked at him with fury deep in his grey coloured eyes, “You undermined me today.” His hand was wrapped tight around his staff as he glared at his son.  
Eurus looked over his shoulder before turning on the rock and standing, his toes curling into the slippery ice on the path as he looked at his father, “I did.” He spoke with confidence, his voice steady as his father advanced towards him, over the ice.   
Dolion’s nostril’s flared before he cracked Eurus around the face, his claws slicing the skin open, letting dark coloured blood seep from the wounds. Eurus’ face snapped to the side with the force of the blow. The cuts stung viciously in the bitter cold.   
“Take that as a warning to not do so again, Son.” Dolion’s voice was as cold as he looked his son in the eyes, his own eyes looking like a storm of rolling grey clouds, “You will lead this excursion, whether you like it or not, and you will bring me what I want back.” His fingers moved to grip Eurus’ chin, tipping his head back to look at his white eyes, the only thing about him that truly looked like his mother.

Eurus felt anger curl tight in his stomach, his hands clenching before one snapped upwards to grip his father’s wrist. Dolion looked at it, but ignored the tight grip, looking at his son’s youthful face.  
“What I do is why you have never been killed, is it not?” His father sneered at him pulling his bottom lip down to look at his sharp teeth.   
Eurus remembered well the vicious taste of salt and bitter roots infused with the blood of the children his father had slaughtered. They’d held him down and forced the concoctions down his throat until he was a teen, then he’d taken the mixtures like a robot. He’d vomited the first few times, but he’d grown accustomed to the taste after a while. He was glad he’d never had to look the kit’s in the eyes. He’d seen death in such youthful ghouls. Glassy eyes and cheeks streaked with tears.   
“Your concoctions are the reason for a lot of my short comings.” Eurus spoke softly before pulling his face away, “I will lead the party. I leave at daybreak. The trip will take two days, in a full shift, down to the plateau. The village is another three days from there.” He turned, claws churning the snow as he moved back to the path down to his solitary cave further down the mountain. Dolion watched him leave before turning back to the meeting cave.

His journey home wasn’t particularly long, only a few hours of walking down the treacherous icy pathways, but he made a stop on the way back. Eurus turned into a small pathway down the mountain, squeezing between the rock face gap into the dark tunnel before gently scratching the wall. The noise echoed down the tunnel and Eurus watched as a torch light appeared. A Ghoulette came into view not long after, a torch in her hand as she tried to look at his face. Eurus pulled down his hood and she sighed with relief.  
“I feared it was another member of your father’s guard.” She tutted and flicked her bright hair from her face. It was so blond it was almost silver, and Eurus watched it move in it’s great long braids, the three of them swinging as she turned and beckoned him to follow her, “It’s been a long time Eurus…”  
Eurus nodded, though she couldn’t see it as she led him towards her small complex of caves, “It has been some time, Aurole.” He confirmed, though he wanted to say he had missed her, but he was sure any advances ever made towards the feisty ghoulette had always been scorned.

The caves were warm, the rush of heated water keeping the complex warmer than any within the mountain. This place was unknown to most and Eurus felt his shoulder relax as she welcomed him to sit with her by her fire pit. Light bounced from small mirrors and lit up her rooms, revealing the walls of plants and dried meats, along with the glowing rocks she had acquired.  
“Did you sneak off to see the Aether tribe again?” He asked softly as his eyes caught sight of new additions to her healing supplies. There was a strange rack of roots he had never seen before, deep yellow with purple leaves, and new rocks, filled with glowing magic he knew to be the work of Aether Ghouls.   
“I have to. There is no one else to get them for me.” Aurole scoffed before she sat down, a hot drink in her hand, “Here. It is a bitter tea, but it will help with your sleep.” She knew him too well and watched him drink the bitter hot tea down quickly.  
“I could help you get them if you need it.” He offered softly.  
“And risk your father’s wrath again? No Eurus, you stay firmly where you are.” Aurole scolded before reaching over, turning his face to look at the deep wounds on his cheek, “Not that you already haven’t invoked it today.” Sighing, she got up to fetch something to clean the wounds with.

The shelves rattled as she grabbed a salve and some linen to stick over the deep gashes along with some to clean away the blood with. The kettle was still hot over the fire, and Aurole collected a bowl of hot water before sitting next to him, dunking the cloth into it before snatching his face, holding it tight as she began to clean away the dark coloured blood.  
“I always forget you bleed such a nasty colour.” She teased, grinning as she picked and wiped away the thick gloop from his face.  
“A product of my father’s…treatment.” He confessed once more, before chuckling softly as her small, dark nose, wrinkled at the colour. It wasn’t the deep red she was used to seeing, but was a lot darker, the colour mixed with something like tar, like corruption ran through the ghoul’s veins.   
“I know, Eurus. I still worry that it will kill you one day.” Aurole squinted as she cleaned the last bits of congealed blood away, dipping her fingers into the salve by her knee. Eurus flinched when she rubbed it over each of the three claw marks. She was quick to finish, laying layers of linen over the cuts on his cheeks before she sealed the edges to his face with a glue made from some form of honey.

Eurus smiled at her as she tided her supplies away and sipped the last of his bitter root drink, his mouth going dry at the taste. When he finished it, he gently collected her own cup and placed them aside for her.  
“You always seem to come crawling into my caves when you’re injured, Eurus.” Aurole joked as she sat back down across from him, clawed toes flexing softly by the warmth of the fire.  
“I forgot I had been wounded.” His mouth twisted at the edges at her scornful expression, “I came to tell you that I’m going away. My father has told me to lead another raiding party.” Eurus confessed quietly.   
Aurole heard him still, her pointed ears flicking with worry before she pulled her braids over her shoulders, the shiny metal bands glittering on the way. Still, she said nothing for a moment before huffing, “I know you hate it, but don’t disobey him this time…Last time your arm took a month to heal because the break was so violent.”   
Eurus chuckled at her worry, “I will do my best.” He pointed at her shelves of medical supplies, “If there is anything you need…”   
She lowered his hand back to his side, “I will get it myself. I will not have you steal it from corpses.”

Eurus nodded stiffly before smiling, “I should have guessed that.” He tucked his hands back into his furs before standing from her little table, feeling a weight settle in his chest at having to leave the ghoulette again for a few weeks, “I will bring you something back…not from a corpse, I promise. There is going to be a market not far from the mountains soon. I will get you something then.” He promised gently before turning to the door, “Thank you, Aurole. I will see you when I return.”   
Aurole smiled and stood as well, “I look forwards to it, Eurus. I will be here when you come back, victorious no doubt.” She moved towards him and gently wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She felt the great ghoul flinch at the contact before he cupped one arm around her in return. She looked up to see something reflect behind his entirely white eyes, the pupils flexing in the middle to focus on her. His beautiful dark eyes had been another thing his father had taken from her.  
“Be safe, Eurus.” She leaned upwards on her tip toes and kissed his non-injured cheek softly before gently pushing him out of her entrance. The torch was placed in his hand, “Remember to throw it off the mountain side.” She whispered, looking at him as he nodded slowly, leaving her by the complex entrance.

Eurus touched his cheek softly, wondering what it would have felt like to be able to feel the sensation of her lips against his cheek as he made his way further down the mountain to his own caves.

Their depart from the tribe was met with a few lingering mates and frantic goodbyes. A few kits came to see them leave. Eurus felt constricted in the glowing runes of his armour. The thick heavy leather plates were lined with metal sheets inside, the runes designed to allow for the armour to contort and shift with them. It was tight against his torso as he looked over the party his father had gathered from his place on the smooth topped boulder. Cane saw him from the crowd of warrior, waving as he moved over towards his friend. Eurus clasped his forearm in greeting, the two of them placing their foreheads together and touching the backs of each other’s heads before they pulled away.

“You look out of place here, Eurus, and uncomfortable in your armour.” Cane looked down at the black leather and white glowing runes, “There was a time when you would have been forming blood pacts and cheering your siblings in arms along. Where is that ghoul now?” The smaller male reminisced quietly, taking a seat next to Eurus, his own armour tanned and lined with the same white runes.   
Eurus looked at the red ribbon tied around his friend’s chest plate straps and smiled, “I feel constricted. Maybe I have grown fat.” He joked before pointing to the ribbon tied to Cane’s armour, “I see you have someone to come back to now. I am happy for you, brother.” He elbowed Cane’s arm gently, looking at him as he smiled and shook his head.  
“She would resurrect me just to kill me again if I don’t come back.”   
“Well then, I best ensure you come back for her, in one piece.”   
“I’ll have your back as well, Eurus. We can’t have the chieftain’s prodigal son die in a small raid, now can we?” Eurus only rolled his eyes and addressed the party, collecting them together for the long march down the mountain to their destination.

The small Earth Ghoul village was a long way from their mountain home, and for most of the journey, they spent their time jumping down the rocks and scaling the cliff faces with long curled claws. Traversing the solid ground level terrain was much easier, and the group walked the rest of the way, preserving their energy and taking what food they could find from the small outlying groups of ghouls. The party reached the outskirts of the forested area after four days of travelling, their weapons itching to be blessed with blood after the build up of uneventful travel. Eurus could smell the anxiety on the rest of them. Cane at his side frowned into the trees, spotting the animals and the clear pathway to the forest dwelling Earth Ghouls, clearly drawn out and labelled for any travellers to follow.   
“That is the only way into their village. Travellers will get lost if they don’t follow it, or so it is said.” Cane spoke to Eurus from the treeline.  
“Well, we follow the pathway then…We can diverge a little as we grow closer. I want this battle won quickly and without slaughtering the whole place, if possible.” He walked up to Cane, and placed a hand on his shoulder, before signalling for the tribe to follow him down the well-trodden path.

The group of Air Ghoul’s moved along the path for a day, night falling as they fanned out and surrounded the village. The forest ghouls were known for their treehouse homes, the ivy ladders up to them thick and coarse. Eurus breathed silently from the bush he was stationed in, looking over at the village. Cane was stationed on the other side with the rest of the raiding group. The Earth Ghoul’s seem a little nervy, but continued to potter around nonetheless, the tribe undisturbed for the most part. He glanced around with white eyes at the warriors with him before he drew a deep breath into his lungs. Eurus howled deep and loud into the air. The sound made the Earth Ghoul’s turn their heads, ears flicking through their curls as they huddled closer, some scampering away up into their treetop homes. The reply came with a lighter howl and Eurus sprang from the bush with his claws outstretched, covering the distance to the first armed Ghoul in a single leap. His claws sank into the ghoul’s neck and he grunted as he tore open the flesh, blood spurting from the vessels over his face. He blinked the blood away before he smashed his fist against the male’s temple three times. The bone cracked and the ghoul beneath him convulsed, blood pouring over his chest and down his chin.

A kit screeched, high pitched and loud, and the chaos began. Eurus drew his sword after the first kill, watching the party leap from the bushes around the clearing, their short swords raised high. The blades would break, and they would resort to tumbling through the leaves with the Earth Ghoul guards soon. Eurus plunged the blade through the sternum of the second male that confronted him, his hood falling from his head, revealing the bells tied in the curls of his hair. They jingled as he swung around and shoved the corpse from the blade, blood slicking the length and dripping from the tip as he pushed the body on the floor and cut down the ghoulette that surged at him. The short sword plunged into her stomach and Eurus drew the blade back quickly before swiping it along the soft flesh of her belly with a snarl. The ghoulette’s guts spilled from her tummy, the slick intestines sliding past her trembling hands as she slumped over by the male she had ran to defend. A kit screeched by as her mother fell and Eurus watched it scamper up into the trees, ignoring the child in favour of engaging the next male that ran at him.

This male was tall, a spear flying towards Eurus before he raised his hand to deflect the stone head. His white eyes glowed as he released a blast of wind, the spear flying clear of him to the right. Eurus growled as the ghoul leaped for him, the male’s claws battering against his chest armour and sending him to the ground, his sword clattering away somewhere. The Ghoul was shifted, great plant covered horns slamming into the ground by his face. He raised his clawed feet and shoved, but the heavy weight was too much. Eurus dodged his head to the side as teeth snapped next to his ear. With a growl, he shifted rapidly, horns curling backwards as fur covered his body and he increased in size. In this form he easily towered over the other, and he raised his back feet again to kick the Earth Ghoul away, the plates over his body contorting and covering him with black leather and bright white runes. His dark fur was shaggy around his neck as he shook himself out of the shift daze and looked at the other male. The earth ghoul was assessing the fight, looking at the claws and heavy tail of his opponent. Eurus felt the venom drip along his teeth, white eyes rolling to look at the padded hide of the guard.

Despite the difference, the male still ran at him. Eurus met the charge on two legs, fur rippling as he whipped over and slammed the earth ghoul into the ground with a heavy butt of his horns. His hooked claws tore the hide open with two great strikes, and he pinned the male down as he locked his jaws around his spine, poisons leaking into the male’s bloodstream before he crunched harder, his powerful maw crushing the vertebrae. The great body underneath him shuddered as the Earth Ghoul tried to whip around and scratch at him, only to fail as his spinal cord was crushed and he lost the use of his lower half, legs going limp against the dirt and leaves. Eurus felt the dead weight and let the male flop to the floor before he left him there to slowly bleed out and die with the onset of the poison running through his veins.

He heard the cries around him, muffled like white noise as he shifted back to focus again on the fight, his armour plates tight once again around his chest. For a moment he didn’t think he could breathe. The sound of the bells in his hair kept him grounded as he moved back to his blade, taking it in his hand and breathing heavily to himself as he turned back around. Blood sprayed up the side of his face as one of his party was cut down with spears, their body rammed with three long pikes. Eurus howled as he claimed vengeance, sword slicing a horn in half before he twisted and lowered his strike, cutting an artery in one of the males legs before he twisted his grip and cut again, slicing him belly to chest as he leaned and ducked another strike from a ghoulette. She spat at him as her club moved towards his shoulder, cracking against his armour and thankfully not shattering any bone. Eurus flipped his sword around and plunged the blade backwards into her stomach before he tugged it free, the length throwing blood upwards, in an arc, as he sliced at his next opponent.

The male dodged his blade and threw himself forwards with his two daggers, catching Eurus’ side. A long cut opened through his heavy tunic and armour and the air ghoul hissed, backpedalling, deflecting the daggers as he went, the cut in his side stinging and leaking the dark coloured blood he had come to know so well. The Earth Ghoul ignored the wound, pressing his advantage and slicing at him with quicker and quicker blows. His hand was cut as he waited for an opening. The chance didn’t come. He took a deep breath as a sword was plunged through his attacker’s throat. Cane pulled his blade free with a growl, shoving the ghoul onto the floor before slapped Eurus across the shoulders, flicking blood and mucus from his sword.   
“Thank you.” Eurus said before they stood back to back, watching the fight begin to dissolve as the Earth Ghoul’s cut their ladders and huddled in their huge tree top homes.

The two groups joined in the centre of the village, blood covered and panting heavily. A few had shifted fully, great fur and horns matted with blood, teeth gnashing as they looked at their leader, crouched low and alert. A kit screeched from one of the treehouses and Eurus looked up at the centre hall of the village. The tree was tall, thick and strong, the bark well nourished and tough. It would be hard to bring down, but he was sure they could manage with their combined might.   
“Shift. All of you. We are going to tear down their little houses.” He growled as he felt himself shift back into black slick fur, the collar of matted fur shaking with bells as he led the pack towards the base of the great centre tree. The ghouls above them tittered in worry and Eurus looked at the trunk before pulling his energies around him. A hardened slice of wind thudded into the wood, sending chips of the old plant flying. The pack soon follow his lead, a few scrambling up the trunk to rock the Earth Ghouls around to one side. A groan sounded as the weight on the weakened trunk shifted, and Eurus watched at the wood continued to splinter and their home shook.

A great crack sounded as the plant gave way, the tree toppling violently through the others. The Earth Ghouls inside jumped for their lives and were crushed by the weight of the tree or were crushed as the treehouse splintered and killed most of the occupants inside.

“Kill them all. Tear down their homes.” Eurus hissed, tail snapping behind him as he towered over a struggling ghoulette. She whimpered before he reached down and grappled her by the neck, twisting the muscle and vertebra violently, a sicking crack sounding before she fell silent and no longer moved.  
“What about your father’s orders?” A gutsy ghoulette asked.  
Eurus swiped at her for the question, “No prisoners. I wont torture their children for my father’s magic.” She whimpered softly and prowled away to help a couple of individuals chase after a family, grappling them before their blood soaked the soil, “The rest of you, with me. We need their food to survive.”

The village was nothing but corpses, with the heavy scent of iron-soaked blood, within hours. Eurus felt his armour shift as he moved back into his normal form. The leather and metal were constricting as he panted, catching his breath as he looked over his exhausted raiding party. They had finished collecting the supplies and a few began to light fires to burn the rest of the village to ashes. He heard a squeak behind him as he stood from the cracked stump of a tree. The noise was high pitched, and Eurus knew it was a kit. He could make out the bright green eyes peering out from the bush. He turned, covered in blood, dirt and sweat, before he levelled his bright white gaze on the terrified kit. In three strides he was stood over the child, looking down at it. It was silent as he leaned over and picked it up. It sniffed at the blood coating his armour as he walked through the bushes and into the thicket, taking some time to get away from the group before he plonked the child on the floor. Their silent exchange was ended as he put a dry, blood covered finger to his lips, making a soft ‘shushing’ noise.

“Run as far as you can. They won’t catch you if you run towards the deeper woods. Find more of your kind.” He shooed them away and watched the young child run on all fours into the bushes, silent as a mouse as they ran for their life, the haunting tune of his bells in the wind urging them onwards.

Home was where it was coldest. Eurus pulled his cloak tighter around his neck as they followed the icy paths home. The Earth Ghoul mounts were woollen and coped with the climate well as they ascended the steep pathways. They were like thick woollen cattle, their fleeces warm but the skin underneath knobbly and rough. Eurus helped the animals heave the carts up the last of the sheer faces before he was met with the sound of a horn. Their return was announced. His father was already stood on the plateau, looking at their bounty from the hunt. Slowly, as the party flittered in, his smile became a frown. The final cart passed through and he realised that his request was not met. They had brought home bodies and extra food. The bodies of their comrades. Only three had died in the expedition, and Eurus ignored his father’s glares to go and whisper condolences to widows, holding their heads, sharing their pain over their fallen friends. Cane gently eased him away when his father’s gaze burned with anger.

“You have returned successful, and with enough to feed us for many months. For that, I thank you, warriors.” Dolion said nothing of the insubordination for now, but went around the carts himself, thanking his people and mingling. Eurus turned to look at the sour face of his father and sighed, searching for his mother in the crowd. She spotted him first and moved over to his side, wrapping him in a cold hug, her embrace warm, but the feeling beaten out of her long ago.  
“I am glad you were successful, my son.” She cupped his face and he nodded quietly, kissing her hands before he returned them to her with a soft word of thanks. Cane was with his own lady love, and Eurus smiled softly before he was met with the rage lined face of his father. He curled his finger before taking him from his mother, dragging him into and through the council chamber, deeper and deeper into the mountainside. The scent of iron clung to his nose as they entered the dreaded chambers.

“Father, I have returned with what you asked of me.” Eurus spoke, trying to cover his unease. The caves held nothing but trauma and bad memories for him. As they moved into a large clear room, Eurus looked to the cages with remorse. Sad and pitiful looking ghouls sat in small cages. A fire kit snorted fire and screeched before a pail of water was thrown over him. His skinny arms recoiled back into the cage and Eurus looked back at his father, studying the brass bells in his hair as he waited for the reason he had been dragged back into this hellhole.

The explanation never came. Instead, he was cracked soundly around the face, the blow the same stinging pain as the one he had received before he had left. Eurus felt his fists clench by his side as he slowly turned his head back. The scent of salt and blood clung to his nose as he looked at his father. The man was stood over him, his hands shaking with the rage swirling inside of him.   
“You did nothing of what I asked.” He spat at his son, the cages around them both going silent as the tension grew thick. Dolion turned his back to Eurus, walking over to the centre stone table. It was a cold slab, covered in dark stains, that were the remanence of blood clinging to the surface. The chieftain moved over to the table and ran a claw along the surface, “I should strap you to this again myself and force more of those concoctions into your gullet. Maybe they will make you more amiable to my goals!” Dolion roared into the cave. The kits in the cages curled in the corners of their prisons as they listened to their Air Ghoul captor howl and spit.

“Your goals are that of a tyrant…and of a murderer.” Eurus spoke softly, deadly calm, his tone even as he raised his white gaze to his father’s eyes. He saw himself reflect in them for a sickening moment before he moved across the stone. Dolion turned to catch the charge a fraction too late. His son’s battle hardened, and chorded muscle was stronger than his own, and he was forced down onto the slab, writhing beneath claws and teeth. Eurus didn’t follow through for a moment, feeling the powerful ghoul underneath him writhe and spit like one of the great mountainous predators they often chased away. Cold icy wind blustered through the room as Eurus shook his head and opened his mouth, fangs extending from the sheaths in his gums before he tried to strike at his father. Dolion pressed against him, holding off the assault, the foul-smelling poison dripping up his arm.

Rage blurred Eurus’ vision as he snapped at his father, failing to hit his mark. Dolion was older and weaker, having not seen battle in many years. Still, his weight and muscle were not to be scoffed at, and his arms only shook a little as he tried to roll his son beneath him. Sensing the attempt to shift the fight, Eurus hooked his claws into his father’s clothing before pulling back and throwing him over the slab, making sure to angle it so Dolion’s jaw collided with the stone edge on his way over. Stars swirled in Dolion’s vision, his jaw blossoming with pain on his left side. The jawbone was shattered with the precise pressure against the hinge as he hit the stone. His face hung slack as he howled with anger, Eurus following his father over the slab before he grabbed him by his hair, rearing the elder ghoul’s head forwards before he slammed it into the rock, watching the vile brown eyes roll.

“I WON’T LET YOU DO TO THEM WHAT YOU DID TO ME!”

The roar echoed off the stone. Sickening slaps sounded as he cracked his father’s head back against the stone table again, watching blood splatter against the grey surface, giving it another stain. Dolion gurgled incoherently in front of him. Red still tinted his vision as he smashed Dolion’s cranium against rock, bludgeoning him slowly with his own torturous creation. Eurus felt himself cry, tears dripping over his cheeks in thick rivulets as he screamed hollowly, spit flying onto his father’s face as he screeched. A dam had broken, and Eurus howled before he grappled his father once more, feeling weakened claws scrape at him as he flipped him over and dragged him to his feet, a hand knotted in his hair.

“I-It…Only took you…t-t-two centuries.” Dolion spat, blood staining his teeth in a macabre smile, aimed at his son’s face. Blood wet the fur around Eurus’ shoulders as he looked down at his father, seeing the smile he had grown to hate so thoroughly, “You al-ways w-were weak!” He spat, blood splattering up Eurus’ cheek. He said nothing, white eyes devoid of even a pupil in his rage, ice curling up his cheeks with the wind whipping around them both. The freezing blasts froze the tears in their place, blood dripping over the watery glass as he drew his father’s head further back against his shoulder, listening to him gasp at the strain. The muscles became prominent in his neck as Eurus pulled his head as far back as it would go. A crack sounded as Eurus leaned over, looking into the glazed eyes of his father before his jaws snapped forwards, locking tight around the meat of his trachea. The sharp teeth sliced deep, ripping muscle from cartilage and connective tissue.

Dolion made a gurgled noise as the teeth sliced deep into his flesh, severing blood vessels on their way, separating muscle, cartilage and bone from one another. The windpipe in his mouth was slimy as he felt blood pool under and across his tongue. It tasted like putrid iron. Dolion’s dark eyes widened before the life began to melt away from them. It was a slow death, the man choking on his own blood as it spurted back into his lungs and down his neck, ruining his furs and tunic. Eurus looked down at his father as the fight finally left him. The meat fell from his mouth and rolled down along the man’s limp shoulder, landing with a wet slap, on the floor.

Time seemed to slow, his chest heaving, blood dripping down his cheeks, freezing over the top of the ice like little rubies. There was a commotion in the hallways behind him, the rattle of weapons as a group of loyalists heard the racket. Eurus took a deep breath, the wind whipping around him, his hair flowing around his head, bells ringing softly as he looked over at the group. They had stopped by the door, eyeing the pool of blood and the splatters along the stone. It was incriminating enough, Eurus stood with frozen blood clinging to his clothes and furs, his mouth covered in a thin layer of it. White eyes looked as the group parted, his mother walking down the centre of them. Dolion’s corpse made her jaw clench, looking at the distant face of her son. He only tilted his head, white eyes devoid of any former love he had held for her or his father. Dolion had broken her son.   
She took a deep and shuddering breath before steeling herself, “Bind him in chains. You will face the whip for your crimes. They will start when the moon is high…and they will finish when the sun’s rays touch your face.”

The tribe gathered along the ridge of the pit. It was towards the base of the mountain, the dip in the earth not entirely deep, but the shale walls were high enough to keep anything but an Air Ghoul inside. In chains, Eurus too, was stuck. He hoped Cane wasn’t watching. He had seen him in the group of ghouls that had torn him from his father’s body, but since then there hadn’t been a sighting nor the smell of his childhood friend. He hoped he had gone to his lady love. The chains were cast around a pole and he looked at the heavy ironwood. It was a deep charcoal colour but had never been burnt. It was strong enough that he would never be able to escape, especially not when the whip laced his skin. He felt the eyes already lingering over his exposed skin. The inked tattoos over his shoulder blades were a sign of what he had achieved, yet now they saw fit to spit on those victories. The ones over his chest were magical, blood infused and deep red. Their enhancements were useless to him against the pole.

The crowd that had gathered quietened as his mother came to the lip of the pit. Her voice rang out through the crowd, yet Eurus found himself unable to hear her. His breathing was deep and ragged in his own ears, blood rushing in them as he looked up to the men stood in front of him. Their mouths curled into snarls at the charges. Murdering his father. He had done that. A vague recollection of the events spiralled through his mind as he lowered his white eyes and looked at the shale floor, the stone pulsing underneath him as he panted. As he moved his jaw, Eurus felt the matted blood in his facial hair. The tribe cheered as the whip coiled behind him. The ghoul holding the whip held it up for the crowd to see, walking in a slow circled around where Eurus was tied to the pole. It was silver. It would crack open his hide and make him bleed. There would be scars and pain.

His mother held her hand up, the crowd silent, before dropping it to her side. Eurus heard the whip coil before he felt the burning pain as it struck the skin of his back. The silver sliced open his left shoulder blade. He didn’t give the ghoul the satisfaction of a noise, taking the blow silently as he looked hard at the stone under his knees. The second strike was over the bottom of his back, though not as hard, only leaving a vicious mark instead of completely slicing through his skin. The third and fourth strikes were in the same place, cutting the skin deep, spraying dark blood over the stone. There was a small amount of hesitation in the next blow, as the ghoul looked at the strange colour to his blood. A bark from the side lines quelled the worry, and the blows continued, hard and vicious against his shoulder blades, cutting open his skin and leaving trails of blood around him. He watched a spray of his own blood whip past his eyes, landing by him as the blows came at a steady pace.

Eurus opened his mouth after the twentieth strike, spit clinging between his teeth as he grunted, the burning of the silver finally getting to him. The blows slowed as the time past. He was allowed respite, the wounds beginning to heal and seal before another strike would open some again and remind him of the pain he was supposed to be baring. The sun’s rays came as a saviour, Eurus feeling dried blood over the entirety of his body as he looked at the cold sun in the sky. He was suddenly cold as he hit the rock floor, pieces of shale cutting his cheek as he slumped helplessly. The ghoul with the whip snorted, spitting by his face, leaving him there in the pit. The crowd had left hours ago, and his mother as soon as his punishment had begun. Eurus imagine the warmth of the sun on his face, and for a moment, felt the phantom heat on his skin. Before he passed out completely, he felt soft, warm hands cup his face, turning his head gently before he was rolled onto his front and onto a sledge.

“Be still, Eurus.” The hands stroked his jaw gently before he felt himself slide over the stone, “Shhh.”  
There was a grunt of a cattle animal before he heard stones shift, and his white eyes drifted closed completely.

“Eurus…I know you are awake.” Aurole’s voice was gentle in his ears. He had been in her cave complex for months now, his back slowly healing, scar riddled and weak from the punishment he had endured.  
“I still don’t know how you do that…” He whispered as he opened his eyes, laid on his back, flat against a board to heal the muscles and spinal column correctly.   
Aurole laughed, a breeze whipping over his face to move his hair back into a scooped ponytail.   
“Call it intuition.” She moved him over onto his back, a new salve in her hands as she shifted his mass over, “You are healing well but you will have a lot of work to do to regain your muscle mass.” She observed as she rubbed the salve into his scars and his last few wounds.  
“It will take many months.” He agreed as she finished, gently rewrapping his back with supporting bandages.

The soft hand on his cheek steeled his resolve, and the large warrior hummed softly before sitting up, flinching gently at the strain on the tough, collagen scars littering his back.  
“Aurole…”   
Her clawed finger pressed against his lip, quietening his confession. She smirked at him before leaning over to kiss him soundly on the lips. Eurus felt himself flounder softly, his hands wandering to her waist as she prodded at his lips, opening his mouth gently so they could kiss deeper. His claws curled into her sides as she pulled her mouth away.  
“I love you too, Eurus.” He pressed his forehead against hers, feeling a deep connection within his heart. It was whole and good. The warmth lingered in his chest as he moved over her. She laid back against her own bedding, pulling his hair to get him closer, her teeth snapping at him primally.

After that the memories were fire and blood.

Aurole laid with their child spilling from her guts, eyes glassy and blood pooled in her mouth. The fire ghouls had paid with blood. Eurus had chased them for miles, grappling them before tearing their eyes and guts from their bodies. The bodies were piled by the base of the mountain, heads on spikes, organs and eyes burned.

He missed her.

Air felt the thick tear drip over his cheek as he sat across from the little Earth Ghoul. Earth was stunned into silence, not having expected to see such a harrowing set of events. The small ghoul was over in an instant, fingers curled into Airs cassock as he felt the pain and ache resonate within his own chest. He was young, far younger than the millennia Air had seen, only having four centuries to his name. The feelings from the memories were vicious and raw, deep and ancient. Earth had never experienced such a deep emotional bond with anyone, even his own family. They had loved him, but not as Air loved him.  
A tear dripped down the large ghoul’s mask as his name was whispered softly, “Eurus…”  
The large ghoul was a constant cool and calming presence, quiet and contemplative, yet viciously brutal when Alpha saw fit to poke him. Earth had seen what Air had done to Alpha last time, Omega fretting over the arm that was bent entirely the wrong way. His mate was no mystery to him. Air was a loose canon that most were afraid would go off. Not to him. Air was sweet and warm. Air was home to him now. They had spent so much time together, the large ghoul his only comfort on the surface when he was ripped from his simple potion making life.

“Y-You weren’t supposed…” Air choked on his own breath, cringing softly beneath his own mask as Earth gently cupped his cheeks. They were in the elder ghoul’s room, the area dark and filled with books and memories of his tribal life.   
“I didn’t mean to either…” Earth confessed gently, his finger tucking under the metal mask that kept them confined to their human forms. He pulled it free slowly, watching Air’s human face distort and disappear, revealing the rough facial hair and the thick gloopy tears that were dripping over his cheeks. Earth touched Air’s horns, cupping the base before drawing his face down and touching their foreheads together, holding himself together as Air choked on sobs against him.  
“I love you.” Earth whispered against Air’s forehead before he kissed the skin softly and wrapped his arms tightly around the larger ghoul.

With a choked whine, Air looked at the blond-haired ghoul in his lap, his tears slowing as he leaned forwards and pressed a hot, long kiss to Earth’s lips, “I love you too.” He whispered, holding the ghoul in his grasp tight.  
“I won’t leave you like her, Air…I promise I won’t. I won’t be taken from you.” Bright green eyes looked through a mop of wild hair, that reminded Air of ivy as he watched Earth move and smile.  
“You are not her, Earth. I love you, but you are not her. I don’t want you to be her, or to try. I am happy to love you, no matter what happens with the succession.” Air kissed the Earth Ghoul hard, feeling confidence whereas he had only felt embarrassment before. Time had taught him much. Much that he intended to show his little earth ghoul.

He hoped that Omega’s visions were only proven to be false.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!   
> I'm sorry to leave the Ghost fandom sometimes but I'll let this be my last major contribution. I hope it satisfies everyone. Peace!


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